ladylike

I never thought of myself as a a skirt girl… or, I guess I always have been, but not exclusively. Then I started working with the Hasidic community last year, and would wear skirts around them out of respect (they never asked it of me) on an almost daily basis. Now I'm hooked! In fact, I wore jeans out the other night for the first time in weeks and immediately knew it was a mistake. Skirts are so much more comfortable and flattering on a ladyshape, in this author's opinion, and obviously far cooler in the summertime. Indeed, my love of skirting has rekindled my interest in fashion--you may remember I was largely unimpressed by both spring and fall collections last year. But it's because I forgot about my favorites, the off-seasons: Resort and Pre-Fall. For example, feast your eyes on all the slinky, mermaid-meets-flamenco skirts in Christopher Bailey's 2015 resort collection for Burberry: 

So fun, so flirty! A pencil skirt always looks great, and even maybe used to be my favorite. But, honestly?! Thanks in part to my time among the hasids, these days I'm keyed into a longer, looser silhouette. There's something so beguiling about a flowing skirt, some delightful examples of which are to be seen in Francisco Costa's pre-fall collection for Calvin Klein.

Love that regency waistline, all of the sudden. Sexy, but demure. And all those soft silvery greys are simultaneously cozy and ethereal--a pretty neat trick when you think about it. I think this waistline is about to be A Thing, if Vogue is any indication--see it imposed with gold and silver bands on the looks in my favorite editorial from the march issue (though I could do without the pinstripes…)

and then again in April, in an even dreamier spread staring Karlie Kloss: 

It's all so soft and floaty and feminine and comfy! And the perfect thing for a rainy day like today/the rest of my life. Best of all, it's an especially easy look to achieve on a budget, as I'm sure you'll find your own neighborhood thrift store as rife with "mom skirts" as mine. I wish we could all go shopping!!!!1

runway images via style.com; editoral images via vogue.com